Description

This list entry was subject to a Minor Amendment on 24/03/2015

SJ 59 NE
11/5

ASHTON IN MAKERFIELD
LIVERPOOL ROAD (south side)
Roman Catholic Church of St. Oswald and St. Edmund Arrowsmith

(Formerly listed as Church of St. Oswald and St. Edmund)

GV
II
Catholic Church. 1925-1930. By J. K. Brocklesby. Stone. Romanesque
style. Nave, chancel and ambulatory, south west tower, north
west turret and north and south chapels (ritual west is actual
north). West front has corbel table; giant arch of 3 orders
enclosing round-headed window and entrance of 3 orders; relief
in tympanum of coronation of Virgin,, and sliding doors. Statue
of St. Oswald on corbel table. To-left a round turret with
round-headed window on sill course; corbel table and conical
roof of diminishing courses of pointed stones. Tower to right
has angle buttresses. Windows to west and south have shafts
and hood moulds with head stops; tall slots to 2nd stage and
paired round-headed bell openings, corbel table and pyramidal
roof. Nave of 7 bays has clerestory with corbel table and
pinnacles flanking central and end bays; 2 triplets of
window. 2 south chapels of 3 bays flank entrance bay, with
Lombard frieze and sill course. Windows to eastern chapel have
shafts and enriched archivolts. Round-headed entrance is
flanked by weathered buttresses, as is eastern bay. East end
of chapel has round apse with stone roof and 2 windows on sill
course. Chancel has rounded end, Lombard frieze and shafted
windows with enriched archivolts; weathered buttresses and end
small round apse with window. Clerestory has 7 windows. North
side similar to south; connection to presbytery and 3 lower
bays of confessionals to west, Interior: Nave has 3-bay units
with arcades on quatrefoil piers, enriched transverse arches
and saucer domes, small intermediate bay. West gallery on 3
arches, the outer ones stilted, on enriched clustered shafts;
arcading to gallery front. Ambulatory has transverse arches on
corbels. Chancel has 5 stilted arches to ambulatory. Vaulted
roof is stencilled. To north and south are 5-bay blind
interlaced arcades with 3 recesses. North chapel has west
screen of 3 stilted enriched arches, 3 bays to ambulatory.
Round-headed recess to east with reredos painting over marble
altar; to east a vestry with iron gates. East apse to
ambulatory has shrine and iron gates. Chapels to south have 3-
bay arcades to ambulatory, eastern chapel has apse with shrine
and screen to west. Stained glass in expressionist style by
Harry Clarke 1930-7 with some similar glass dated 1970. 2 holy
water stoups, free-standing blocks at west end of nave with
reliefs to fronts. Bow-fronted pulpit has-peacock emblem.
Chancel has arcaded rail and marble altar, with wood altar in
cyma form from former chapel (1822) to front. The church is
noted for its excellent carving of corbels, arches etc. by the
Howe Brothers, and as the shrine of the hand of the Martyr St.
Edmund Arrowsmith.

Listing NGR: SJ5756498906

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Catholic Church of St Oswald and St Edmund Arrowsmith at Wikipedia
• Catholic Church of St Oswald and St Edmund Arrowsmith official website
• Wikidata IDs Q26321182 Q5053129

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

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